TEHRAN – A Caracal, a wild cat, found wounded in Jahrom city, the southern province of Fars, survived after receiving immediate medical treatment, IRNA reported on Friday.

The Caracal has been spotted for the first time in Jahrom region, which ended up injured.

An environmentally conscious local found the precious species suffering in pain, who immediately called the department of environment to save the animal.

The animal has been sent to the city of Shiraz for treatment, who fortunately escaped death.

Caracal means 'black ears' in Turkish. Caracal or Desert Lynx a native species in Iran and some other countries.

In Africa, the caracal is widely distributed south of the Sahara, but considered rare in North Africa. In Asia, it occurs from the Arabian Peninsula, Middle East, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan to western India. It inhabits forests, savannas, marshy lowlands, semi-deserts, and scrub forests, but prefers dry areas with low rainfall and availability of cover.

It is characterized by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted ears, and long canine teeth. Its coat is uniformly reddish tan or sandy, while the ventral parts are lighter with small reddish markings. It reaches 40–50 cm at the shoulder and weighs 8–18 kg.

Caracals providentially are present across most regions of eastern and central Iran, including Fars and northern Khuzestan but there are also some concerns over the status of populations not just in Iran but also in the Central Asian Republics and also in Pakistan.

Dry steppes and semi deserts of Kavir National Park, Tooran National Park, Bahram-e Goor Protected Area, Saghand Yazd, Abbasabad, Naeen, Naybandan Wildlife Refuge, Sistan-Baluchestan, Khorasan, Masjedsoleyman and Kermanshah are all listed as Caracal habitats in the country.  

The caracal is categorized as least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources; African populations are listed under CITES Appendix II, while Asian populations come under CITES Appendix I. In central, west, north, and northeast Africa and Asia, the major threat to the survival of the caracal is habitat loss due to agricultural expansion and desertification. Caracal are often killed in retaliation for preying on small livestock.

In October 2018, a Caracal lost life in a car accident on Shiraz-Kazeroon road, Fars province.

FB/MQ/MG